Highly Sensitive Money for Highly Sensitive People who want to align their values with their money

In this episode, I sit down with Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, author of "Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul," to talk about how highly sensitive people can engage in meaningful social justice work without burning out completely. Dorcas shares her own experiences with severe burnout in the nonprofit sector and how she learned to create sustainable rhythms of activism and rest, for herself and her family. 

We explore the importance of changing our external settings rather than trying to change our sensitivity, the value of contemplative practices alongside active work, and how financial giving can be a meaningful form of social justice participation. This conversation offers both validation and practical wisdom for those of us who feel deeply about creating change while also needing to care for our wellbeing and saying not to martyrdom.

Dorcas Cheng-Tozun is an award-winning writer, editor, speaker, and social impact professional. She is the author of Start, Love, Repeat: How to Stay in Love with Your Entrepreneur in a Crazy Start-up World, Let There d.light: How One Social Enterprise Brought Solar Products to 100 Million People, and Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways. She also has two published Bible studies on the topics of Migration and Mental Health. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, Image Journal, and dozens of other publications in the US, Asia, and Africa. She recently served as a high school instructor of social innovation at Valley Christian Schools.

Dorcas has over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit and social enterprise sectors, working in the areas of community development, leadership development, affordable housing, and off-grid energy access. She served as the first director of communications for d.light, one of the world's leading social enterprises, and has provided communications consulting for social-benefit companies around the world. A Silicon Valley native, she has lived in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Nairobi, Kenya. She and her entrepreneur husband have been married for twenty years and have two sons.

Dorcas has a BA in communication and an MA in sociology from Stanford University, as well as a professional editing certificate from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dorcas Cheng-Tozun website

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"The Highly Sensitive Person" by Dr. Elaine Aron

"Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways" by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun

#HighlySensitiveMoney #SocialJusticefortheSensitiveSoul #HSPBurnout #Activism #ContemplativePractices #NonprofitSector #SustainableChange #RestAndAction #SensitiveSoul

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

Kaeri Schaefer brings us “collaborative understory medicine”—a root-cause, relational approach that treats symptoms as body communication. Today we cover Kaeri’s path from family medicine residency to functional medicine, bodywork, and somatic practice, and how this reshaped the way she supports “chatty” bodies (often highly sensitive nervous systems). 

Throughout the episode we discuss how money and medicine intertwine—including the role of financial privilege, the tension with insurance, and what it took for Kaeri to launch a nonprofit clinic and later step away to practice more freely. We discuss practical somatic cues around money stress (chest, jaw, pelvic floor), how space and environment affect care (natural light and color matter), and why relationship—not hierarchy—creates safety and better outcomes. I’m grateful for Kaeri’s grounded wisdom and the gentle pace she models for truly listening to our bodies.

Kaeri Schaefer, MD is a healing provider integrating functional medicine, bodywork, and somatic practice. Trained at the University of Wisconsin and board-certified in Family Medicine, she blends clinical rigor with deep listening, describing her approach as “collaborative understory medicine.” Her additional training includes functional medicine through the Institute of Functional Medicine, craniosacral and osteopathic studies with Carol Gray and Christopher Frothingham, DO, and decolonial medicine coursework with Dra. Rocio Rosales Meza.

Kaeri’s work centers relational, consent-forward care and longer visits that allow the body’s communications—not just “symptoms”—to be heard. A mother of two, magical queer cis-womyn, and intuitive healer, she honors inner knowing and self-honoring action as pathways for personal and collective healing. She has led accessible care initiatives, including a nonprofit model committed to not turning anyone away, and now practices in a way that supports her clients—and herself—to feel grounded and radiant.

#Somatics #FunctionalMedicine #IntegrativeMedicine #BodyCommunication #TraumaHealing #NervousSystem #MedicalBurnout #AccessibleCare #MindBodyConnection #FinancialWellness

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Embodied Anatomy course

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

Taylor Gilbert brings us into an exploration of what happens when a medical social worker brings courage, clarity, and financial literacy into one conversation. Together we unpack how negative money messaging shows up in social work, how salary transparency and negotiation can shift outcomes, and why values-aligned investing matters when your life’s work is caring for others.

In this episode, our guest Taylor Gilbert and I also get into the practicals—her early $40K starting salary and six-figure loans, the pivot that launched her blog and podcast, and her current pursuit of CFP® coursework to pair money coaching with comprehensive planning. Highlights include: the moment HYSA changed her path, the real costs families face around death, a nuanced look at “income vs. outcome,” and concrete ways social workers can find lucrative, values-aligned roles. Diana also reflects on the care-first side of financial planning and why being well-resourced reduces burnout for helpers.

Taylor Gilbert is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Financial Social Worker (CFSW), and the creator of the award-nominated blog Social Work to Wealth. By day, she serves families in end-of-life settings, facilitating organ donation conversations across Oregon, SW Washington, and Western Idaho. Outside the hospital, Taylor translates complex financial topics into clear, compassionate guidance for social workers, blending career strategy with money education.

Her own money pivot began after discovering high-yield savings accounts in 2021. She and her husband totaled their debt at $277,721.41 and have since paid down $77,000, sharing the process publicly to reduce shame and increase transparency. Taylor’s platform has grown into a blog, newsletter, and podcast committed to salary transparency, negotiation, and expanding the map of lucrative, nontraditional career paths for social workers.

Now a financial planning student pursuing CFP® coursework, Taylor is building the skill set to support clients across cash flow, debt reduction, investing, and retirement—always through a values-aligned lens. Her mission is simple and radical: help social workers become financially well so they can sustain their calling and serve their communities without burning out.

#SocialWorkToWealth #SocialWorkers #MoneyMindset #FinancialPlanning #CFP #ValuesBasedInvesting #DebtFreeJourney #SalaryTransparency #EndOfLifeSocialWork

Social Work to Wealth website

Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

In this episode, our guest Emily Rose and I sit down for a spacious, values-led conversation about how scarcity shows up—in people-pleasing, and overachieving—and what it takes to repattern those reflexes in the body and mind. I introduce Emily’s work with women and femmes at key life thresholds and we explore her sliding-scale philosophy, the relief of not having to “justify” what you pay, and why nervous-system safety belongs at the center of money work. Emily also shares money imprints from her childhood and the mindset shift in her mid-20s that changed everything. 

Emily names something many of us feel but rarely articulate: when money tightens, our bodies often rush ahead of our minds. Layer by layer, we trace how scarcity takes root—in family scripts, in the “morality” of doing money the “right” way, in systems that reward separation—and how it loosens when safety, relationship, and reciprocity come first.

Emily Rose walks beside women as they release scarcity, fear, and struggle, returning to what’s always been steady within them. Her practice weaves emotional alchemy, body-based healing, unconscious repatterning, and ritual to help clients move from survival into rest, belonging, and full self-expression.

Drawing from Buddhist meditation, witchcraft rituals, gardening, painting, and hands-on creativity, Emily integrates modalities like breathwork, Human Design, hypnosis, NLP coaching, parts integration, astrology, timeline therapy, somatic mapping, and energy work. A 4/6 Manifesting Generator, she moves at the pace of curiosity rather than pressure—meeting people where they are with sliding scales, scholarships, and pro bono support.

Emily writes Returning to the Well, a Substack of reflections, gentle teachings, and nature-rooted practice. In alignment with her values, a portion of her earnings supports causes such as the ACLU and WILD.

#EmilyRose #MoneyMindset #ScarcityToAbundance #SlidingScale #GiftEconomy #SomaticHealing #Breathwork #NLP #ValuesBasedBusiness #FinancialTherapy #Enoughness #CommunityCare

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

My guest Lina Blount has us explore how people-powered movements change what’s politically possible—especially when traditional advocacy hits a wall. I introduce the show’s focus on the emotional, ethical, and practical sides of money, and Lina shares how a 2011 nonviolent direct-action training sparked her path from volunteer to EQAT’s Director of Strategy & Partnerships. We dig into why EQAT targets Vanguard, the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels, and how Quaker practice informs strategies that are both bold and grounded.

Lina Blount is an organizer, trainer, and nonviolent action strategist who leads as Director of Strategy & Partnerships at EQAT (Earth Quaker Action Team). After years of volunteering and serving on EQAT’s Board as co-clerk, she stepped into staff leadership to help shape campaign vision, build coalitions, and grow people power for climate justice.

Lina’s background includes work on the education team at Pendle Hill Quaker retreat and study center, organizing with the Divestment Student Network, and two years as a canvass director and anti-fracking organizer in Pennsylvania. She’s spent over a decade on environmental justice campaigns in the Philadelphia area, translating Quaker faith-in-action into clear strategy.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Lina grew up near Mount Rainier, the daughter of a civil engineer—an origin story that feeds her belief that material problems have material solutions. She now lives in West Philadelphia, where EQAT holds accountable one of the most powerful financial actors in its own backyard.

#LinaBlount #EQAT #DivestFromVanguard #ClimateFinance #EthicalInvesting #Quaker #AsYouSow #FossilFree #ShareholderAdvocacy #PeoplePoweredMovements

Never Vanguard Pledge

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

In this episode, our guest Genet “GG” Gimja and I explore the gap between what we believe and what our money is quietly doing in the world. We dig into practical shifts and big questions alike: how banks leverage our deposits , the tools that make values-aligned portfolios more doable, the trade-offs inside the so-called American Dream, and how identity and lived experience shape the way we earn, give, and steward resources. GG’s refugee roots and research-driven approach bring rigor and heart to the gray areas: private prisons hidden inside index funds, politicians funded by our favorite shops, portfolios that look “neutral” but aren’t. Along the way, we name the quiet signals that sensitive people notice first, and the practical boundaries that make sustained care possible.

Genet “GG” Gimja is the creator and host of Progressive Pockets, a podcast born in the fall of 2020 from a simple but urgent question: how do we use money to reflect our values? What began as a private, 8-episode show on giving quickly expanded when listeners asked about impact investing and ethical spending. GG realized “giving back” wasn’t the whole story—our retirement accounts, banks, and everyday purchases also carry real-world consequences.

Today, with 100+ concise, practical, sometimes funny episodes, GG examines the crossroads of social impact and personal finance—helping people align how they spend, donate, and invest with the world they want to help create. Her format often responds to listener letters, translating dense research into clear, doable steps without losing moral nuance.

Grounded in her Eritrean American background and refugee roots, GG brings a community-centered lens to money. She treats generosity as flow, looks squarely at systemic contradictions, and invites listeners to pair conscience with competence—moving from uneasy awareness to informed action.

#ProgressivePockets #GenetGimja #ValuesAlignedMoney #ImpactInvesting #SocialJustice #Donations #EthicalSpending #PersonalFinance #MoneyAndMeaning

Progressive Pockets Podcast

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

Listen in to hear Morgan Curtis’ story from climate activism, to fossil fuel divestment, to working with her people - inheritors with class privilege. We explore motivation: how guilt can open the door but love sustains transformation. We get practical about the gift economy at Canticle Farm, unpack the “activist with a secret trust fund” archetype, and follow the path that led her to Harvard Divinity School—and eventually into university classrooms—to teach redistribution and repair. 

As Morgan reflects on lineage and belonging, we keep asking what it means to turn privilege into relationships strong enough to change us. There’s a different kind of money conversation happening here—one that begins at a family archive and ends with a future imagined in community. 

Morgan descends from early settler colonizers of what is now Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York and names how her family’s privileges are tied to stolen land, enslaved labor, and extractive industry. Politicized through the fossil fuel divestment movement, she spent eight years organizing and educating in climate and social justice spaces, where grief work, ritual, and storytelling became central to her approach.

Today, Morgan supports people with inherited wealth in moving toward redistribution, reparations, and ancestral repair. A long-time member of Canticle Farm (Oakland, CA), she practices gift economy, nonviolence, and restorative justice in community. She holds an MTS from Harvard Divinity School focused on the spiritual dimensions of reparations for white descendants of colonizers and enslavers, and is a graduate of the Academy for Coaching Excellence (ICF-aligned; 200+ training hours and 300+ supervised hours). Morgan is publicly redistributing 100% of her inherited wealth and 50% of her coaching income, is connected with Resource Generation and Solidaire Network, and authored the chapbook “Decolonial Dames of America.”

#MoneyCoaching #Redistribution #Reparations #AncestralHealing #GiftEconomy #LandBack #Divestment #ReparativeJustice

Morgan Curtis website

Big Topics at Midnight by Nancy Thurston

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

In this episode, our guest River Nice and I explore what it means to take control of money while resisting the individualism that capitalism promotes. River shares how their journey began in the tech world, shifted after the 2016 U.S. election, and led to their decision to dedicate their skills to supporting queer and trans communities. With honesty and clarity, River discusses the pivotal moment of leaving the traditional financial advising model to create something rooted in inclusivity and collective well-being.

Money is often portrayed as neutral or purely practical, but this conversation shows how deeply political it is, and how reimagining its role can transform both individual lives and communities. Their analogy of money and gender—both social constructs enforced through systems of power yet lived as daily realities—opens a door to thinking differently about how we relate to financial structures. This episode is not just about personal finance but about imagining alternative futures, where money becomes a tool for collective care instead of extraction.

River Nice (they/them) is the founder of Be Intentional Financial and a financial educator dedicated to serving queer and trans communities. A self-described “spreadsheet brain,” River discovered their calling in 2017 after helping a partner navigate credit card debt from a gender transition. Their own financial privilege and upbringing by a CPA gave them the foundation to demystify money and support others in building confidence and stability.

Before launching their practice, River worked in tech and then under a national broker-dealer, where they earned their Series 7 and 66 licenses. But traditional finance felt misaligned—clients needed education and empowerment more than portfolio management. Guided by conversations with peers like Phuong Luong and the support of XY Planning Network, River took the leap into self-employment, creating an independent RIA by 2019.

Today, River runs group programs focused on financial literacy through an anti-capitalist lens. Their philosophy centers on transparency, inclusivity, and solidarity—whether through reparations-based pricing, teaching creative approaches to credit, or helping communities imagine collective transformation. River’s work continues to challenge the dominant systems of finance while offering practical tools for liberation.

#QueerFinance #AntiCapitalism #FinancialEducation #TransFinancialPlanning #MoneyAndCommunity #FinancialLiberation #CollectiveCare #MutualAid

Be Intentional Financial

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

In this episode, our guest Shehara Wooten and I explore what it takes to build wealth with confidence and purpose, especially for Black women in STEM navigating promotions, pay raises, and the pressures that come with them. Shehara’s story of moving from engineering into finance reveals not just a career change but a mission: to help others see what’s possible with their money when they feel empowered instead of pressured.

You’ll hear insights from her book “In the Meantime, Own Your Financial Narrative”, stories of her clients’ breakthroughs, her reflections on racial wealth gap history, and even how hobbies like line dancing and painting tie back to money and life purpose. 

With over 20 years of experience in financial services, Shehara Wooten helps ambitious mid-career Black women in STEM gain clarity, control, and confidence in managing money. She specializes in guiding clients to avoid lifestyle creep, confidently navigate promotions, and build lasting wealth. Her mission is rooted in doing her part to close the racial wealth gap while empowering women to live the lives they imagine.

Shehara founded Your Story Financial in 2016, serving clients across the United States. In 2019, she launched Your Story Financial Academy, offering education and coaching to help people envision financial independence and “work-optional” living as achievable. Her work is fueled by a deep belief in financial literacy and equitable access to planning.

A graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shehara began her career as an engineer before shifting to finance in 2004. Since then, she has served with global and national financial firms before creating her own practice. Beyond her professional work, she enjoys line dancing, reading nonfiction, watching historical documentaries, and spending time with her husband, family, and friends.

#SheharaWooten #FinancialPlanning #BlackWomenInSTEM #WealthGap #FinancialLiteracy #MoneyMindset #STEMCareers #RacialWealthGap #CommunityWealth #FinancialFreedom

Shehara's Youtube Chanel

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.

In this episode, our guest Lauren LaSalle and I dive into the tender, challenging, and transformative path of early motherhood. Lauren shares her journey from feeling overwhelmed and second-guessing herself to finding confidence, peace, and joy as a mom. As a mentor for sensitive mothers of young children, she knows firsthand how difficult it can feel to balance caring for yourself with caring for your kids.

Together, we explore the shift from therapy into coaching, the ways Lauren discovered that her deep sensitivity was actually a strength, and how she now guides other moms in reconnecting with their intuition. Lauren also reflects on her childhood financial background, her work with money mindset coaching, and the shift that came when she stopped leading with fear and began leading with trust. This conversation highlights the power of slowing down, listening to ourselves, and realizing that there’s no single “right” way to parent—only the way that works best for you and your family.

Lauren LaSalle is a mentor for moms of littles who want to parent with confidence, calm, and intuition. She helps mothers move from survival mode into a more peaceful, connected experience of parenting. With an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and years of experience supporting highly sensitive women, she brings both professional training and lived experience to her work.

After becoming a mom herself, Lauren realized the unique challenges of raising children while honoring her own needs. Through one-on-one mentorship, group programs, mini-courses, and community spaces, she now helps other mothers reconnect with their inner wisdom so they can raise emotionally balanced children while enjoying the process of motherhood.

She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, daughter, baby son, two cats, and a flock of chickens. When she’s not guiding moms, she enjoys theater, dance, and living in harmony with her family and community.

#MotherhoodJourney #CalmParenting #MaternalInstincts #OvercomingOverwhelm #MoneyMindset #ParentingSupport #IntuitiveParenting #EmotionalWellbeing #ParentingCommunity

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Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.